It was nearly 4 in the morning by the time Naomi got home. She lived alone in a tiny one bedroom house. It was nothing fancy, but the rent was cheap and it was comfortable. She let herself in through the back door and set her purse and keys on the kitchen counter. She locked the door behind her and stood on the rug while she started pulling off her shoes. She heard a noise and felt for the light switch. She flipped it on and gasped.

Chris was sitting at the kitchen table. His eye was swollen and red from the fight earlier. It was already starting to darken, and he would probably have a pretty dark black eye soon. He stood up and stood several feet from Naomi.

"Where's your boyfriend at, Mimi? I was hoping to get a shot at him, but I guess you'll do." Chris slurred.

He took a step closer and Naomi saw the knife in his hand. She looked over at her purse and wondered if she could grab her phone and get out. She took a step back and twisted the doorknob behind her back before remembering she had locked it. She started fidgeting with the lock in the middle of the knob but her fingers wouldn't cooperate.

Chris lunged towards her. Time seemed to speed up. Naomi could feel her face against Chris's neck. She could feel his arms curved around her back, gripping her to his chest. She closed her eyes bracing for the stab, but didn't feel it. She ran her arms up the front of his coat. Something in Naomi's mind clicked. Something wasn't right. Naomi took a step back and the arms released her. Castiel had appeared in front of her. He was standing right there, like he had appeared out of thin air. His eyes stared into hers with a look of sadness deep in them.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Chris' bewildered voice broke the silence. Castiel turned and Naomi gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth when she saw the knife sticking out of his lower back.

"I was lenient to you before." Castiel said as he slowly started walking towards Chris. His gruff voice held an angry tone to it. "But if you continue I will not be easy on you this time."

Chris' eyes were wide and full of panic. He looked around the kitchen and fumbled to pull one of the other knives out of the wooden block on the counter. Naomi stared on in horror. She was completely frozen in place. Chris lunged forward again, this time burying a knife deep into Castiel's chest. Castiel punched Chris hard in the temple, and the man fell to the ground. Castiel reached behind him and yanked the knife out without so much as a wince before pulling the knife out of his chest. He dropped them on the kitchen floor and leaned over Chris.

"Stop!" Naomi yelled as she moved forward and grabbed Castiel's arm. Castiel turned and met her stare with an angry gaze. "Don't kill him."

"I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to make him forget all this happened and transport him far from here." Castiel reached his hand out and touched Chris' head.

Castiel's fingers glowed, and the room was filled with a bright light. When it faded, Naomi and Castiel were alone in the kitchen. Castiel's back was still to Naomi. He shrugged off his trench coat and examined it in his arms. Naomi's eyes were locked on the spreading bloodstain on the back of his white shirt.

"You're hurt." Naomi said cautiously as she set her hand on his back.

"I'll be fine. My coat is ruined." Castiel sighed and tossed his coat in the trash before turning to face Naomi. The front of his shirt was coated in blood as well.

"What is going on?" Naomi demanded. "I can't even begin to even- How aren't you hurting right now? Is it the adrenaline? You didn't even blink when he-"

"I'm an angel." Castiel answered simply, like Naomi would consider that a sane reason. "I am a servant of the Lord."

"You're an angel who's looking for God?" Naomi was starting to feel faint. This was all too much.

"I need to go change into some other clothes." Castiel said gruffly. "I'll be back soon."

"You're just going to go to your secret angel lair? Change into a new trench coat and the pop back in for some tea?" Naomi was starting to convince herself this was all a dream.

"It's not that secret, it's a storage container." Castiel answered as he narrowed his eyes at her. "But yes, I will be back soon."

Naomi buried her face in her palms and rubbed her eyes. She had to be asleep. This whole night was just some kind of elaborate hallucination or dream. There was no way any of this was really happening. Naomi heard a whooshing noise, and when she lifted her head, she was alone in the kitchen. She took a few steps, convinced she really was going crazy and was imagining things. Her foot hit something and she heard a metallic clink. Naomi looked down and saw the two blood-covered knives Castiel had pulled out of his body.

"There's no way he's an angel." Naomi said to herself. "This is just too weird." She heard another whooshing noise and felt her hair move in an invisible breeze.

"It's the truth, whether or not you can accept it. I'm sorry for coming here, but I need your help." Castiel's voice came from right behind her. Naomi spun and he was standing inches away. She startled and fell backwards onto the ground. Castiel kneeled down in front of her. He was dressed the way he had been when she first saw him. The shirt was perfectly white, as if nothing had happened.

"You were hurt." Naomi stated. Castiel sighed and stood up. He held out a hand to Naomi and she took it gingerly as he helped her up. He took off his trench coat and set it on the counter before tugging his shirt out of his pants. He held it up before spinning around. Naomi placed a hand on his back where the knife had been. The skin was perfect and smooth, like nothing had ever happened. "How is this possible?"

"I healed." Castiel sighed again as his voice sounded moderately annoyed. He let go of his shirt but didn't tuck it back in. "I don't understand what other proof you require."

"You think I could have a vision and help?" Naomi asked carefully. "Help you find God? If you're an angel, why do you need to find God? Shouldn't you know where he is?"

"It doesn't work like that. I am working with humans to stop the apocalypse. My brothers do not agree with my choices. God is missing, he hasn't stepped in yet and I have no idea why. My guess is that this is a test." Castiel started pacing from side to side. "I only know of one other prophet currently, and he would call me if he had any new information."

"So you just need me to-" Naomi trailed off. Castiel nodded. "Well. That sounds simple enough."

"Look, I know this situation isn't ideal. I'm not very excited about it myself. But at this point, I have to take a chance on anything that could help." Castiel ran a hand through his hair and tugged at his tie to loosen it.

"You're not making me feel any more on board with this, Castiel." Naomi said with a laugh. "Give me some time to think about this. Let me sleep on it."

"Time is something I don't have the luxury of. I'd rather get this over with now." Castiel said point-blank.

"Can I take a bath? Just to clear my head. Twenty minutes is all I'm asking for." Naomi dropped her arms in defeat.

"Fine. Twenty minutes." Castiel answered grimly. He looked at the bloody knives on the ground and gestured around the kitchen. "I'll clean up this mess."